COMMENCEMENT ------------------------------------------------------------------------ America, we are so bountiful. America, we are so powerful. Don't we own the moon? Won't the sun and the planets be ours soon? Our greatest treasure, for what it's worth, Is something we hold back on earth... Our kids, our hope, our reason for believing, Are crying out from lonely streets for something to believe in. Our children are dying, And we don't even seem to hear them crying. We've condemned our sons and our daughters For sins committed by their forefathers. Our kids, their dreams, their promises for tomorrow, Have been traded down for money and power. The "Land of the Free" Has sold its children's liberty. We robbed their bank while they lie sleeping. Remember what we tell our kids about stealing? America... America... Get back on track. The note's past due to pay them back. We're so busy cheering Communism falling, We don't even hear the Pied Piper calling... Our kids, their schools, their un-education... Did we lose our minds while on summer vacation? To be truly free, We need less Pentagon and more Halls of Ivy. The surest defense of this democratic nation Will come from kids taught to use imagination. America... America... Great teachers are rare, But when we want the best, we best be fair. Reward them well. Thank them often. It's nothing compared to what it's now costing... Our kids, our pride, our precious commitments, Are sacrificed on foreign streets at our insistence. Lend them a hand. Stop looking for solutions in the sand. Let's not lose sight of where we're going, Lest we fail to see our children growing. America... America... If we've a mind, We can work, and listen, to get it this time, So as to not lead off to slaughter... The next generation of our mothers and fathers. America... America... ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Copyright © 1995 Jim Hinde folkbone@mindspring.com